Jan van Aken Takes a Seat at the Arms Company Table - A Tale of his Rheinmetall Shares
Jan van Aken discusses his stake in Rheinmetall, a German defense equipment supplier.
By Hubertus Volmer, Chemnitz
Catch some uncensored chat about the arms industry? No problem, pal! Here's the scoop on Jan van Aken, Left Party chairman, and his hilarious run-in with Rheinmetall shares.
Van Aken dropped a bombshell at the party conference in Chemnitz by announcing he'd be stirring up some trouble at the next Rheinmetall shareholders' meeting. With two shares he purchased eight years ago, costing a measly 180 euros, the Left Party leader cashed in a whopping 3200 euros! If that ain't ridiculous, I don't know what is.
Warning bells rang as van Aken explained this wasn't an investment—just a way to get a seat at the shareholders' table or, as he put it, make a little tomfoolery! He plans to keep the shares, waiting for the next meeting to dish more dirt. Just imagine the spectacle!
"Arms companies rake in cash from the government's defense plans," van Aken stated, pointing out the profits made by companies like Rheinmetall. He also demanded an excess profits tax on such companies, declaring it "disgusting that people profit wildly from war and others' misery."
Left's Parliamentary Leader, Sören Pellmann, echoed van Aken's sentiments, citing the current state of armament, and his faction's role as the defense sector's bulwark.
Van Aken took multiple swipes at the wealthy elite, accusing the federal government of prioritizing arms over social security and calling the reform of the debt brake "unbelievably scandalous." He further emphasized that the Left represents the class interests of the common folk, distinguishing between the "haves" and the rest.
A Dissenting Voice at the Left's Party Congress
Amidst the Left Party's opposition to armament, a minority of delegates voiced differing opinions during the Chemnitz party congress. For instance, a delegate from Hesse expressed concern over the party's persistent beliefs regarding questions of war and peace, calling them increasingly detached from reality. She attributed the calls for rearmament to the Russian attack on Ukraine.
However, this viewpoint appears to be in the minority, as a resolution passed by the delegates stated that fears of a potential Russian attack on NATO territory are intentionally inflated. They also viewed the "struggle between autocracy and democracy" as nothing but a veiled narrative to justify aggressive rearmament measures.
Sources: ntv.de
- The Left
- German Defense Policy
- Friedrich Merz
- Chemnitz
- Party Congress
- Jan van Aken, the Left Party chairman, cashed in an unexpected profit of 3200 euros from his two Rheinmetall shares purchased eight years ago, costing only 180 euros, as he revealed at the party conference in Chemnitz.
- Despite the Left Party's stance against armament, differences in opinion emerged during the Chemnitz party congress, with a delegate from Hesse expressing concerns that the party's views on war and peace seemed detached from reality, partly due to the Russian attack on Ukraine.
- Van Aken accused the federal government of prioritizing arms over social security, calling the reform of the debt brake "unbelievably scandalous." He sees the Left as representing the class interests of the common folk, distinguishing between the "haves" and the rest.
- In a resolution passed by the leftist delegates at the party congress, they dismissed fears of a potential Russian attack on NATO territory as intentionally inflated and viewed the "struggle between autocracy and democracy" as a narrative used to justify aggressive rearmament measures.5.业者们利用政府的平定侨意向，
